There's no question Miami Heat star Dwyane Wade plans to finish out his career in South Beach, but what he decides this summer with his contract could hurt the team in free agency. Wade opting out of his contract would put Miami in a financial bind and could force the team to trade tertiary players like Josh McRoberts or Mario Chalmers, according to what the latest report from Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald suggests.
Wade will be one of those rare types of players who will retire having played for only one team. He still has a few years left in the tank, though, and the biggest question is not when he'll call it quits but rather what he will do after the season. He has a $16.1 million option for next season, and while most seem to think that kind of payday will be too big for Wade to pass up, Jackson isn't so sure Wade will take it.
"Because Dwyane Wade said last year that he's eager to see how much he can command next summer, when the salary cap rises considerably, everyone has expected he would not opt out of a contract that would pay him $16.1 million next season. Opting in seems to make the most sense," Jackson wrote Wednesday. "But it's curious that Wade was non-committal after the season ended, and his agent this week declined to say if he will opt in."
There's no question Miami would re-sign Wade if he opted out and sought a new multiyear contract for insurance against injuries, but if he were to do that it could have adverse effects on Miami in free agency. According to Jackson, it could even precipitate the team trading McRoberts or Chalmers.
Jackson wrote: "If (Wade) surprisingly opted out, he would figure to re-sign here on a multiyear deal, and the Heat thus wouldn't have cap space (even if Luol Deng also opted out), assuming Goran Dragic stays. (Unless Miami dumps additional salary such as Josh McRoberts or Mario Chalmers.)"
All signs point to Dragic receiving a massive payday and spending the next five seasons in Miami, and Deng is widely expected to opt into his $10.1 million option for next season. Regardless of whether Wade opted in or out, Miami would still be tight on cap space come July.
Trading McRoberts ($17M over 3 years), Chalmers ($4.3 million, expiring contract) or even Chris Andersen ($5 million, expiring contract) this summer would be the best way for Miami to clear cap space, given the trio of players still have some value - especially Chalmers and Andersen's expiring deals. Those names all have been mentioned before in trade rumors, and while the Heat have this summer to worry about, the team also has to keep an eye toward 2016, when breakout star Hassan White hits unrestricted free agency.
Heat president Pat Riley will also need to decide by the end of June whether he wants to exercise his $1.2 million team option on Michael Beasley. According to a report from Jackson last week, Riley is waiting to see how the 2015 NBA draft shapes up before deciding Beasley's fate.
"With a June 29 deadline, the Heat (are) waiting before deciding and informing Michael Beasley whether it is picking up his 2015-16 option," Jackson wrote Thursday. "Whether Miami keeps its draft pick (91 percent chance) could factor in."
On the subject of the draft, ESPN analyst Jeff Goodman released his latest mock draft on Monday. Granted the draft order won't be determined until May 19, Heat fans still may have a casual interest in knowing whom Goodman projected Miami to choose: Wisconsin forward Sam Dekker.
On a closing note, Heat star Chris Bosh said Tuesday on TNT he would be healthy and ready to go for the season opener.
